Researchers from the University of Navarra have collaborated with the Egyptologist Mariluz Mangado, a graduate in History from the academic center, in a pioneering project with animal mummies 3,000 years old. Carried out with state-of-the-art equipment from research center (CIMA ) and from the Clínica Universidad de NavarraThe study, which was carried out with state-of-the-art equipment from the Applied Medical Research Center ( data ) and the University of the Philippines, has uncovered new information about Egyptian civilization, their beliefs, and their vast knowledge of medicine, zoology and veterinary science.    

The entrance hall of the new building of the Library Services of Humanities will host a exhibition on the study, under the degree scroll "Egyptian sacred animals: a journey into the secrets of mummification". It will be inaugurated tomorrow, April 17, with a lecture by Mariluz Mangado, and will remain open until April 15. The analyzed pieces will be exhibited: two fish of the species Tilapia nilotica, two cats, a falcon, a feline head, a crocodile and a mormyrus fish. It will also show the 3D images of various perspectives of its interior obtained thanks to internal imaging techniques.

The mummies are dated between 715 BC and the first century AD and are part of private collections and Spanish museums. "Under the bandages, and sometimes inside the bodies, several amulets have been found, with which the ancient Egyptians asked their gods for protection. It has been observed that the amulet is a frequent element in the mummies of animals, which until now was not very well established," explain the researchers.
 

work multidisciplinary

From left to right: Carlos Ortiz de Solórzano, director of the Imaging Unit at CIMA; diocesan restorer and priest Joaquín Martinena Lorente; Egyptologist Mariluz Mangado Alonso; Gabriel Heras Arribas, biologist and imaging technician at CIMA; and Gorka Bastarrika Alemán, radiologist at Clínica Universidad de Navarra.

Photo: Manuel Castells

The study multidisciplinary, carried out between April 2009 and February 2010, has involved radiologists, imaging technicians, archaeologists, veterinarians, etc. The analysis consisted of visualizing the interior of the mummies through two devices equipped with the latest technology: a CT (computerized axial tomography) on loan from Clínica Universidad de Navarra, for the larger pieces; and a Micro CT device from CIMA, a high-resolution CT for the research of therapies against cancer and other diseases affecting human health.

The work was co-directed by María Luz Mangado Alonso, PhD in Egyptology, and Dr. Carlos Ortiz de Solórzano, manager of the Imaging Unit of the CIMA of the University of Navarra and professor of the School of Medicine, at the campus of Pamplona, and of the School of Engineering, in San Sebastián.

In addition, the following specialists have intervened: Gorka Bastarrika Alemán, radiologist at Clínica Universidad de Navarra; Gabriel Heras Arribas, biologist and imaging technician at CIMA; Daniel Martín Pérez, imaging technician at CIMA; Natalia Horstmann, Director of Communication at CIMA; Elica Brajnovic and Kiko Autonell, from the Clinic's audiovisual media; papyrologist Juan Chapa, from School of Theology at the University of Navarra; Rafael Miranda and Mª Carmen Escala, from department of Zoology; Jaime García del Barrio and Karla Rosales, from Office of the Executive Council of the University of Navarra; the Pamplona veterinarian Josetxo Arrarás; and Joaquín Martinena Lorente, diocesan restorer, in addition to the partnership of archaeologists and experts from the Provincial Museum of Huesca.

Interview with Mariluz Mangado on 98.3 Radio: